DALLAS — For the seventh time in the last eight games against the Arizona Cardinals, the Dallas Cowboys walked away in defeat. This year was supposed to be different, the Cowboys were 2-0 and on top of the football world, while the Cardinals were an 0-2 team that couldn’t get out of their own way.
Yet as the saying goes, “any given Sunday.”
On this Sunday, the Cowboys looked like a lethargic group who thought they could just show up and win a game against an inferior opponent. Dallas was down three offensive linemen, and their All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs was lost for the season just a few days before the game, but those excuses ring hollow for a team that got bullied and played their worst game of the young season.
Here’s what we learned about the Cowboys in an ugly 28-16 Week 3 defeat in the desert:
There are no easy games in the NFL
After two weeks, the Cowboys were the talk of the town, and the defense was on track to becoming one of the all-time greats. It took just over one quarter of football for the team to be put on notice that they can’t win on their previous week’s accomplishments. Every week is a grind in the NFL and the Cowboys weren’t ready to play a team that hadn’t won yet. It was easy to see who the hungrier team was on Sunday.
The lack of effort showed up with CeeDee Lamb, who didn’t attempt to catch a pass from Dak Prescott in the end zone, instead the wide receiver gave up on the play believing he had been interfered with. Lamb might have gotten the call if he had tried to fight for the ball instead of giving up and hoping for a flag.
That play was indicative of how the Cowboys went about their business during the loss.
Backup O-Line plays admirably
The prevailing thought was if the Cowboys were going to get upset, a struggling backup offensive line would be the culprit. That wasn’t the case, especially after the first few possessions. Injuries required Dallas to give first career starts at center to Brock Hoffman and at guard to T.J. Bass, but they did well as the shuffled line held up.
Prescott wasn’t under duress against a Cardinals defense that came into the game tied for third in sacks and the Cowboys also ran for 185 yards behind the mostly second-string line. Left guard Tyler Smith also saw his first action of the season and lined up next to two linemen who he hasn’t taken many reps with this summer.
With just one offensive lineman in the same place since the season began – right tackle Terence Steele – the Cowboys managed to churn out 416 yards of offense and helped the offense get into position to win the game. The loss cannot be laid at the feet of an offensive line that was put together with duct tape, despite it being an easy excuse.
Where was Deuce?
The Cowboys had a game plan and that included using fullback Hunter Luepke to help out the blocking instead of using rookie running back Deuce Vaughn as an option to make plays. The rookie had an uptick in usage last week but was nowhere to be found against the Cardinals.
The elusive back’s lack of opportunities was a surprise after he had a nice showing in Week 2. Why Mike McCarthy didn’t use one of his shiftier options against a defense that was allowing yards underneath and after the catch is a valid question.
The Cowboys didn’t have many big plays against the Cardinals and the offense needed a spark, Vaughn could have provided a lift. The team never gave the preseason standout a chance to be a playmaker in Week 3.
Conservative offense
While the offensive line held up for the most part, one of the issues with the short notice ramshackle configuration is that it changed the way McCarthy schemed the offense against the Cardinals.
Despite getting better than functional play from the backups, McCarthy dialed up too many short throws, roll outs to the tight ends, and not enough plays that attacked the middle or down the field. Veteran speedy wideout Brandin Cooks returned to play in this game and still the Cowboys didn’t take any deep shots.
The Cardinals sat on the short routes and dared the Cowboys to beat them down the field, but McCarthy and Prescott never took advantage. It was a conservative game plan, and it gave off vibes of last season’s offense.
Offensive line shuffle
The Cowboys knew that they were going to be short-handed on the line, and they managed to get their five best healthy linemen on the field. However, the alignment was confusing and possibly contributed to some of the malaise for the offense.
If Tyler Smith is your future left tackle, then why not have him play that spot with Tyron Smith out?
Veteran Chuma Edoga lined up at left tackle, but he seemed to be the weak point of the line that the Cardinals’ pass rush looked to exploit. This came after he filled in well for Tyler Smith at left guard in the first two weeks of the season. This couldn’t have been a surprise to the Cowboys, who saw Edoga play better inside all offseason.
Perhaps the team wanted Tyler Smith to settle in for his first game back before moving him to tackle, but if he was ready to play, the second-year offensive lineman should have been at his optimal spot at left tackle. The team continues to tell us that tackle is Tyler Smith’s future, and it was probably the better option on Sunday.
Dallas needed to prepare the best version of their team with the options that they had in Week 3, and they failed to do so, which played a role in the loss.
Do you think the Cowboys will recover from their embarrassing Week 3 performance? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.
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